Jackson, who did not re-sign with the UFC following his unanimous decision loss to Glover Teixeira in January, has signed an exclusive contract with Bellator, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

According to those same sources, Jackson's new deal will be similar to the one "King" Muhammed Lawal signed with the promotion last year, which gave him the opportunity to appear on TNA Impact Wrestling programming on Spike TV. Jackson has flirted with the idea of pursuing a pro wrestling career in the past, and it seems as though he will soon get a chance to showcase himself as a sports entertainer.

Jackson's Bellator debut has yet to be finalized, but a fall date appears to be a possibility.

Bellator would not confirm the new contract when contacted by MMAFighting.com. Jackson tweeted Monday night, "Big news coming real soon."

The 32-year-old Jackson, a 14-year veteran of the sport, enters Bellator with a 32-11 record. He leaves the UFC as former light heavyweight champion and a 7-5 record inside the Octagon.